Covenanter Witness Vol. 55 - Rparchives.org

um."vocation."me"court.their Sabbaths to melt down into Sundays. There isa broad difference between a Satobath and a Sunday,as United (or Reformed) Presbyterians should notneed to be told. The nub of the whole business ofthe summer slump is right at this point : for us,shallthey be summer Sabbaths or summer Sundays?It's a strange thing: Christians often seem tofeel that the obligations of the Fourth Commandment are suspended during the months of July andAugust; although the Scriptures certainly give nowarrant for such suspension. The result of this peculiar quirk of the mind is that church folks often indulge in activities on summer Sabbaths which theirconscience wouldn't permit them to associate withtheir wintertime observance of the Lord's Day. Yeta Sabbath in July has just the same sanctity as aSabbath in January. And in times like these, Christians need more than ever to maintain a Christianwitness at this point ; to preserve the Sabbath's special atmosphere of quiet, of worship, of differencefrom the other days of the week.One of the saddest sights I know of is the signtoo often seen on church bulletin boards during Julyand August: CLOSED FOR THE SUMMER. I havevacationed in New England when it was actually impossible to go to church on Sabbath because therewasn't a house of worship anywhere nearby that wasopen for services. If that has ever been your experience, I hope it gave you just as much of a lonesome feeling as it gave me.But there's a sadder thing than that. It's aChristian upon whose heart the words are writteninvisibly, but no less actually: CLOSED FOR THESUMMER. Just as there is no more beautiful time ofyear so there is no time in which God makes morevaried appeals to His children to open their hearts toHim. Every bewitching summer vista is an invitationfrom the Lover of man's soul to explore the supremebeauty : the beauty of holiness. But too often by ouractions and attitudes we respond: "I'm sorry, God,but not till next Fall. I'll be seeing You in September."After all, there's just the difference of one letter between the words "vacation" and Theword "vacation" comes from the Latin word for"empty,"having the same root as the word "vacuAnd the word "vocation" comes from the wordfor "call." Why allow our vacation to be just a vacuum in our lives, when God is calling to us fromsinging streams, quiet lakes, verdure-clad hills?Why not turn it into a full-hearted response to theFather's ancient appeal, "Come unto ?Richard W. GravesCHRISTIAN UNION HERALDCIGARETTES AND JUVENILE DELINQUENTSby William James Robinson, A.M., D.D.Juvenile delinquency is rapidly becoming a veryserious problem in the United States. It is made soby the fact that some most effectual causes are firmly entrenched in many homes. In many instances ourso-called "best families" heartily approve practicesthat very definitely produce juvenile delinquencyand also lead multitudes of adults into delinquency.society"Not only is "high encouraging practices thatproduce juvenile delinquency, but the fact is thatthis group of supposedly superior families practice54social activities that influence lower ranks of societyto imitate them through the delusion that their conduct is socially correct. It does not follow, by anymeans, that because a family is wealthy, prominentand supposedly cultured, that its social activities arewholesome.Cocktail parties and smoking, dancingand cardplaying by prominent families, in many instancesleaders in churches, are causing not only their ownchildren, but children in lower social levels to goastray. Culture and wealth that brings prominencealso brings heavy responsibilities. Many social functions sponsored by prominent families are characterized by smoking and drinking. During the late WorldWar when cigarettes were not very plentiful one ofAmerica's best known women gave a tea party andasked all her guests to bring their own cigarettes.Such conduct puts the approval of such people onsmoking and makes it hard for young people not tosmoke and to excess.Juvenile SmokersCigarette smoking is increasing rapidly amongboys and girls in all ranks of society. Many highschool boys and girls smoke and more than a fewchildren in grade schools, and in some instances withparental approval. Here are some results from juvenile smoking.Turned Into DuncesDr. A. C. Clinton of San Francisco, physician toseveral boy's schools,says: "A good deal has beensaid about the evils of cigarette smoking, but onehalf of the truth has not been told. Cigarette smoking first blunts the whole moral nature. It has anappalling effect upon the physical system as well.It first stimulates and then stupefies the nerves. Itsends boys into consumption. It gives them enlargeand it sends them to the insanement of the heart,asylum. I am often called to prescribe for boys forpalpitation of the heart. In nine cases out of ten thisis caused by the cigarette habit. I have seen brightboys turned into dunces, and straight forward honest boys made into cowards by cigarette smoking. Iam speaking the truth that nearly every physicianand nearly every teacher knows."Let Judges SpeakJudge Hulburt of the Detroit Juvenile Courtsaid: "I did not suppose there could be longer anydoubt in the minds of men who are informed,orwho follow closely the growing youth, of the influence of the cigarette habit upon the boy from ten toseventeen years of age. We find it one of the mostharmful influences we have to combat in thisI ibeg all parents to weigh very, very seriously thisquotation.Judge Ben Lindsay, nationally famous JuvenileJudge of Denver, Colorado, has said: "One of thevery worst habits of boyhood is the cigarette habit.all judges of theThis has long been recognized bycourts that deal with young criminals, and especiallyjudges of police courts, before whom pass thousandsof men every year who are addicted to intemperatehabits. These judges know that in nearly every casethe drunken sots who appear before them, a disgraceto their parents, themselves and the state, began asboys smoking cigarettes. One bad habit leads to another. The nicotine and poison in the cigarette created an appetite for alcoholic drink. The cigarette hab-COVENANTER WITNESS